The Longest Month

Happy Independence Day! June was a weird month this year, although not in a bad way. It felt long but it didn’t feel long. Maybe it’s because I’m not at the crosswalk. Maybe it’s because we can’t really go anywhere this summer, and the weeks have taken on a quasi-lockdown feel. Except for trips to my family’s home, the grocery store and church I often have had to remind myself sometimes what day it is. Blogging is a great antidote, though, just as it was in 2020.

It also wasn’t a terribly crowded month as far as movies were concerned, because the calendar is undeniably thin this year, and we all know summer is supposed to be Hollywood’s biggest moneymaking season. July’s not looking any better, either. I can count on one hand how many theatrical releases might be worth it (Twisters, Fly Me To the Moon and Despicable Me 4 are it so far).

That’s not to say June hasn’t been productive, though. Among other housekeeping I’ve gotten done this month is a revamp of the Movie Review index, so now it’s not only updated, but divided into four sections so anyone browsing can find something without scrolling and scrolling and scrolling.

But yeah, I digress. On to June’s five picks (click the images for more information). June was a very female-centric month, which is pretty cool though probably unplanned.

The Watchers

The debut effort from M. Knight Shyamalan’s daughter, Ishana, this movie starts out with an interesting premise and great visuals. Oh, and a LOT of Hitchcock nods. Mina, an American expat in Ireland, is tasked with delivering a rare bird to the Belfast Zoo, and while she’s on her way through a mysterious forest, she’s trapped in what can only be described as a habitat with three other people, and at night they all have to line up in front of the mirror so some strange creatures can watch them.

Initially, The Watchers is pretty strong, but it works best when it keeps itself contained. Once the characters are out of the woods, literally, things sort of fizzle. Still, it’s a very entertaining watch and Shyamalan the Younger appears to have an interesting future ahead of her.

Young Woman And the Sea

Daisy Ridley not only starred as the title character in this biopic about swimmer Trudy Ederle, but was one of the film’s executive producers. You all know I don’t usually review anything from post-2019 Disney, but this is one of the few times I’ve made an exception, because this is truly an excellent film. It follows Ederle as she learns to swim and then prepares to swim the English Channel, all while dealing with rampant sexism and hearing loss brought on by a childhood bout with measles.

It’s a shame that Disney put absolutely no energy into promoting this movie; it’s almost as if they wanted to actively sabotage it. The only reason I found out about it was it showed up on Fandango. Again, it’s really too bad, because it deserves lots of attention. Ridley puts in a great performance and did an impressive job as producer as well. I hope she makes more movies like this.

I Am: Celine Dion

Celine Dion gets very raw and real in this documentary, where she lays out what her life has been like since she’s had to pull back from touring and performing after her Stiff Person Syndrome diagnosis. Even for non-fans, this documentary is a great showcase of her artistry as a singer and why she’s been a fixture in the music industry for so long.

It’s also kind of tough to watch because we see her take just a few of the armload of pills and treatments, and we see her have a full body spasm. Even then, though, while she’s in awful pain, Dion tells the cameras to stay. One of Dion’s aims is to raise awareness with this documentary, and she certainly nails it.

A Quiet Place: Day One

Ah, this movie is awesome. I went into it feeling a little premature disappointment because I keep hoping we can see some alien tails kicked, but I came out very happy and pleasantly surprised. It follows Sam, a terminal cancer patient, and her cat, Frodo, as they brave the smashed-up streets of Manhattan after the aliens land. Sam meets Eric, a Brit who’s in New York to attend law school, and while she’s not crazy about him at first, the two of them get to be friends, and they have some sweet scenes together involving a trip down Sam’s Memory Lane.

It’s very interesting approaching an alien invasion through the eyes of a character who’s doomed from the start. When the chips are down, Sam doesn’t care because she has nothing to lose. She’s not nihilistic, though, just realistic.

Thelma

By far, Thelma is my favorite movie of June. Starring ninety-four year old June Squibb as the title character, it follows a ninety-year old granny as she sets out to retrieve ten thousand dollars she was scammed out of, partially inspired by Tom Cruise and his Mission: Impossible movies. Yeah, it’s a little bit far-fetched, but it’s a lot of fun and Squibb plays opposite Richard Roundtree in his final film role as Thelma’s friend, Ben. Yeah. our heroine goes on an adventure with the guy who literally played Shaft.

Thelma also takes a very sensitive and poignant look at aging and what it means to get so old that family members talk as if Granny isn’t there. There are a couple of scenes when Thelma takes out her hearing aids rather than listen to her family ignore her. So in addition to Thelma and Ben’s trek to the scammer’s hideout, the characters muse about what it’s like to see friends die off or move away. It seems as if it might get depressing, but it really doesn’t. It’s just loving, plucky fun.

What movies did you see in June? Leave a comment below! Thanks for reading, all, have a great weekend, and I hope to see you all on Sunday for another review…

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